Unwed Sailor
by Emiko2
Summary: ^^;; I got the title for this from some background music I found on Aimster... A/P, and almost A/U. Princess Setsuna has a week before setting off for her duties as Guardian of Time. She ends up getting some bonding and anti-bonding done on the way.


Unwed Sailor-Arrival  
By: Emiko  
  
Disclaimer: I usually say something semi-witty here, but I don't feel like it today. ^_~ I own nothing.  
  
Author's note: This particular ficcie takes place in the Silver Millennium era, just in case any of you *don't* get the idea three paragraphs into the fic. I was *extremely* influenced by the ficcies at SailorJupiter.com in reference to traveling and day-to-day life in the Moon Kingdom... I apologize ahead of time for any OOC-ness. It's been a *very* long time since I watched Sailor Moon... I miss Seiya...  
  
"This is a statement."  
'This is a thought.'  
  
~~~  
  
The flight to the Moon Kingdom was a long and boring one. Princess Setsuna was to be officially declared Sailor Pluto and Guardian of Time by Queen Serenity once she got there. It was a tremendous honor and responsibility, bestowed upon to only the wisest and most experienced of the Sailor Senshi.  
  
Of course, she was dreading the occasion.  
  
In fact, the longer the trip took, the better. True, Setsuna missed her friends that lived on the Moon Kingdom, and even more so the Princesses of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, but they were only able to all be together during special celebrations and certain training exercises as Sailor Senshi. The lives of each prince or princess of their respective planets were extremely busy, and none of them had time to visit each other.  
  
Why did this have to be one of those special events?  
  
Damn her luck. Because of her lineage and exceptional performance in her training, she was doomed to a long and lonely life, away from her friends and family, outside even the flow of time, guarding the door of time until she died. She'd be all alone. Forever.  
  
'Not forever,' she chided herself silently. 'Until another Sailor Senshi comes to take my place.'  
  
Setsuna sighed. She knew full well that there would be no one to ever take the place of Sailor Pluto. But despite the reality of the situation, even her parents kept saying so. They were either in denial, or wanted her to go along without complaint, although she wouldn't anyway.  
  
Setsuna was a princess. Princesses, at least those of good breeding, did not whine.  
  
Setsuna was being accompanied by her parents and three knights of Pluto. The knights knew nothing about her, and therefore could never understand her situation. Even if they did, she knew it would be impossible to sit and pretend she was oblivious to the various degrees of gloom about the occupants of the ship and chitchat until they arrived at the Moon Kingdom.  
  
She suddenly wished she were back home in her palace's library, curled up in front of the gigantic fireplace with a good book.  
  
But then again, princesses did not complain!  
  
The outline of the Moon eventually came into view, followed by the palace of Queen Serenity, where they would be landing. There was no denying it; the Moon Kingdom was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen. It was a cornucopia of all the cultures in the Solar System. Its gardens had everything from the red roses of Earth to magnificent fountains of Neptune, all combined tastefully. The palace itself, though, was something all its own. The snow-white dome of the throne room hovered above everything, it in itself giving off an air of importance that could not be ignored.  
  
Of course, the queen herself was not able to greet them personally as they landed. The queen's daughter, however, was.  
  
Princess Serenity waved her arms wildly as the ship touched down. Setsuna couldn't help but smile at her. She was only three years younger than her, but Serenity acted like a little child at times.  
  
In a rare show of glee -mostly due to the moment and situation- Setsuna ran out of the ship and embraced Serenity until she spotted all the other princesses, and hugged each of them in turn, this time with more calm.  
  
"Princess Pluto," a young man's voice called. The owner of the voice stepped from the shadows, looking amused. He was tall, and breathtakingly handsome. His black hair tinted blue in the bright sunlight, and his piercing blue eyes silently laughed at her as he said, "Queen Serenity wishes to see you when ready in the throne room."  
  
Setsuna scolded herself for looking so silly n front of others.  
  
The young man turned to leave, and Setsuna followed, still worrying about bad first impressions while keeping up an appearance of collectiveness. Serenity walked alongside her, and the others followed behind, none of them saying a word. The hallway was sunny and bright but a dark shadow hung over the group until they reached the doors of the grand hall and into the throne room.  
  
The throne room was filled with ladies and gentlemen of various degrees of nobility, along with several servants running around and catering food and drink, and delivering messages. The hall was lit by soft pink candles in beautiful silver holders on the wall and three crystal chandeliers, with even more candles lining the dining tables and creating a romantic background for the dance floor. Everyone was dressed in their best, including the princesses. Even Setsuna was wearing her best gown, reserved only for special occasions.  
  
The group made a beeline for the queen, who was sitting at her ornate silver throne, with a smaller, more sparsely decorated throne to he left; obviously for her daughter.  
  
Serenity went to sit next to her mother as the young man knelt before her. "Queen Serenity," he said. "Princess Pluto has arrived."  
  
Gods, Setsuna hated to be called that. She caught Princess Minako roll her eyes slightly at the name.  
  
"Thank you, Endymion," the queen said. Setsuna did a double take. That handsome man was Prince Endymion? The last time they had seen each other was ten years ago, when they were both children. It was no wonder she hadn't recognized him.  
  
Before she could do anything, Queen Serenity rose and turned to her. "Princess Setsuna," she began. The entire room quieted as Setsuna curtsied. "We have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. I shall go to greet the king and queen of your home planet shortly, but there is an announcement to be made first.  
  
"Princess, today you were to be officially declared the Guardian of Time. However, I have made the decision that the ceremony will be held off for one week, so that you may spend time here in my kingdom before taking up your duties as Sailor Pluto."  
  
Setsuna thanked the queen graciously and tried her best not to cry out with joy. She had a week left only to spend time with her friends. She could have asked for more, but no length of time would ever be enough. She decided to be content with what she had, and went to sit with all her old friends.  
  
They talked about everything from Princess Haruka's most recent misadventures to politics to an originally-intended-to-be-secret romance between Princess Rei and a certain knight of her kingdom named Jedite.  
  
Eventually, after Serenity rejoined the group, Endymion approached their table.  
  
"Princess Setsuna," he said. "May I have this dance?"  
  
Setsuna blushed. Wasn't Endymion betrothed to Serenity? Yes, but the Moon Princess wasn't the guest of honor. Besides, he probably only wanted to catch up since the last time they'd seen each other. She took his hand and waved absentmindedly with her spare to the other girls. They didn't pay much attention with the exception of Haruka and Michiru. The moment Setsuna left the table, Haruka got up and executed a dramatic mock bow to Michiru, and they too ran off to the dance floor, laughing at each other's silliness.  
  
The band started up with a waltz. Endymion led her through the crowd and around the floor. During the dance, they talked about the weather, what they'd been doing since they last met, and for the most part what their respective duties would be in a short period of time and how much they both hated it. It was wonderful; the most fun she'd had in what seemed like forever.  
  
When the dance ended, Setsuna went to curtsy, but Endymion stopped her. "You dance better than Serenity," he whispered.  
  
Setsuna smiled and headed back to the table for dinner, feeling rather elated.  
  
~~~  
  
After dinner, none of the princesses were sitting for longer than five minutes. They were all asked to dance a number of times, and it was safe to say that they were all exhausted by the end of the evening.  
  
Serenity spent most of her time with Endymion, Rei with a particular knight dressed in scarlet, and Minako with approximately four different young men, all of which being tall, dark, and handsome. The rest were all taken up by a number of different suitors, each trying to charm their way into one of the princesses' hearts.  
  
Setsuna retired from the party early. Balls and such were definitely not her favorite thing, and the idea of wandering through the palace gardens was sounding better every moment. She was getting tired of every young man speaking to her of the exact same thing: what a great honor it was, her becoming Guardian of Time.  
  
Didn't those idiots know *anything?* Couldn't they relate? She was as patient with them as possible, but one can only handle so much. After finishing her drink, Setsuna headed out the door as discreetly as possible.  
  
~~~  
  
The sun was setting against the many fountains and trees of the palace gardens, making it a perfect and beautiful setting for a quiet walk, even if there wasn't anyone to walk with. Setsuna liked it better that way, anyway. There was no one to interrupt her thoughts.  
  
That is, until she turned a corner and was nearly run over by Prince Endymion. She was too lost in thought to hear him coming, and she yelled in surprise before she could stop herself... or catch her balance, for that matter.  
  
Luckily, Endymion caught her before she fell. It took a few seconds for Setsuna to regain her composure, but when she did she let loose with one of her patented cold stares. "You played the same game when we were children, Endymion."  
  
"Yes, but then I did it on purpose." He looked a bit sheepish. "I was trying to get away from Serenity. She gets a bit clingy at these parties..."  
  
He was still holding her, she realized. Her dark green hair was brushing against the ground, and Endymion looked to be in a rather uncomfortable position. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, she smiled up at him. "You may let me up now."   
  
Endymion obliged, and she continued. "The last time I visited the Moon Kingdom, she didn't seem too happy about being betrothed to someone. But then again, that was over a year and a half ago."  
  
"Well, I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of being forced into marriage, but now I don't mind it so much. None of the other princesses make such a big fuss over it anymore, either, except for Haruka and Michiru." He laughed. "Those two would marry each other before getting shoved together with someone they hardly knew!"  
  
Setsuna smiled at the joke, but then her expression turned sad. "Endymion, I was never betrothed to anyone."  
  
"Setsuna..." Endymion didn't know how to reply.  
  
"I suppose it was because my mother and father knew that I'd never be able to marry. If I did, I would have to leave my husband and children behind to carry on my duties. Everyone else will go on with their lives as they always have, and marry if they wish, have families..." She trailed off. She bowed her head in an attempt to hide her teary eyes. "I must sound so selfish."  
  
"No," said Endymion. "You don't sound selfish. It's all right." He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  
  
That hand broke down the very last barrier Setsuna had in front of her heart. She burst into tears, involuntarily collapsing into Endymion's arms. He was shocked at first, but he led her over to a bench and did his best to comfort her, as uncomfortable as he was himself.  
  
Fortunately for him, her sobbing didn't last long. She quickly quieted herself, but Setsuna still remained latched on to his side, face buried in the fabric of his jacket. "I'm sorry." Endymion made no effort to move or speak. After a moment, she gave him a furtive glance from beneath her bangs. "Will you accept my apology?"  
  
He looked down at her and smirked. "Why? You've ruined my best suit."  
  
Setsuna blinked.  
  
"You could have at least cried into my cloak, instead," he continued. "I'm not attached to my cloak like I am my suit. I could just get another cloak..."  
  
She gave him an apologetic look. "I'll buy you a new suit."  
  
"No, no. The damage is done. I'll never be able to wear this again, and it's all your fault." He stopped and smiled at her, causing her to blink wide-eyed at him again. "Don't worry about the silly jacket. It's nothing."  
  
'He hasn't changed a bit,' she thought. 'Wonderful Endymion.' Setsuna reached forward and hugged him. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "But I still shouldn't have burst out crying like that."  
  
"It's all right. Everyone needs a good cry now and then."  
  
"I hate crying. I always feel as if there are more important things to worry about, rather than waste tears on trivial things."  
  
"Yes, but your becoming Guardian of Time isn't something so trivial, don't you agree?"  
  
Setsuna nodded absentmindedly, still feeling embarrassed for bursting into tears in front of Endymion.  
  
"Then, cheer up!" he said, standing up and dragging Setsuna along with him by the wrist. "There's still time to enjoy yourself." Setsuna let her arm drop back to her side, remaining silent. Endymion frowned and said, "I should be heading back to the palace. Serenity is undoubtedly going insane at this point." With a flick of his wrist, Endymion presented her with a small red rose. Then he ran off back to the palace with his cloak flaring out behind him.  
  
Setsuna remained in the gardens a while longer, fingering the soft red petals of the prince's gift.  
  
~~~  
  
Wow, this is the first Sailor Moon ficcie I've written in a *long* time... But all that crap was stuff I wrote just after getting into Sailor Moon (one of mine and presumably everyone else's first anime), back when it was okay to write cliché ficcies. . 


End file.
